Seeking Past Professional Life of WWI Naval Air Service Vet

I couldn't help myself. I was wondering why Thomas was in Australia and how he died, so I have found him arriving in Moreton Bay on the Renfrewshire January 1884 as an assisted immigrant under the name of T S Gell, surgeon. He died 29/12/1884 but I have no idea how or where, except somewhere in Queensland. Nothing on Trove and I cant find his burial. But I do wonder why he was here. He is spotted on a couple of coastal trips to Cairns and Rockhampton from Moreton Bay. Did he leave Jessie to start another life here?

 

I've been trawling Trove too but had no luck whatsoever
How did I know that that throw away snippet would be like a red rag to a bull...

 

I have been trying, somewhat in vain, to find a link between the 2 Silvesters named - William and Elizabeth.

We know Elizabeth Silvester married John Gel, and William Silvester Married Elzabeth Allwood - both in 1843

Thomas Silvester Gell, and parents are living in Conchan the Isle of Man on the 1851 census.
With them is his aunt Ellen Silvester. I cannot find any of them in the following censuses.

So we have William b1816c (father of Emily Frances married Chalmers/Davison mother of Colin)
Elizabeth b1811c (wife of John Gell, mother of Thomas Silvester)
Ellen b1819c sister to Elizabeth

Elizabeth Silvester married John Gell (widower) by licence 30/3/1843 at St Mary's Stafford, she names her father as Robert Silvester, occ Currier
Ellen Silvester is a witness.

William Silvester is also in the leather business, and names his first Son Robert Allwood Sylvester.

William's marriage to Elizabeth Allwood was in Rotherham also in 1843, but I cannot find it on FMP (my Anc. sub has elapsed and I cannot find a 'deal' yet). It would be good to see if he also has a father Robert who is a currier.

There is a likely death for Robert Silvester 10/10/1849 of Tipping Street, St Chads, age 66 occ. currier
In 1851 William Silvester and family are living at 18 Tipping Street, St Chads HO107/1999/88/35
On the 1841 census in Tipping St. Robert Silvester b1786 in county (Simister On FMP) a currier, is living with Sarah b1781 (not born in county)
and William b1816 in county. HO107 piece1010 book 4 folio18 page 28

Is this enough evidence to say that William and Elizabeth (plus Ellen) were siblings?

 

This is great! All very interesting and I think we are getting close to the source of all this material. Colin Chalmers was wounded during a bombing mission he was on and crashed his aircraft on Nov 18. So I wonder if the Nov 18 crash put him in the arms of Audrey? The Red Cross insignia I have is WW2 period so maybe she just continued on or did they have any kids? A daughter?

As for suffragists, I am writing a massive history of the spread of Communism around the world via western government policy and their intelligence services. I never knew that many of these suffragists were full-blown bolsheviks. I have also noted a rather extensive effort by academia to keep this fact mute. When you follow the thread of many of these women like the Pankhursts they lead you to some very interesting characters. I have no problem with women's equality nor do I have a problem with workers' rights. However, in my view that stinks things up a bit. Many people do not understand that much of what these people were fighting for was affected by their ideological stance. I even have quotes of many top Socialist/Communist union leaders at the time making it clear that it was never their intent to actually fight to achieve worker's rights only to turn them into a seditious force. The fight was the worm on the hook and the fish the women or the workers. They were only to fight so far so the fish would not wriggle off the hook. In many instances, it was in their interest to actually lose labour disputes or the fight for rights, not win them. They knew that they had to keep things under tension to continue to exercise control. A part of their tactic was always to mix labour demands with political demands. If their dispute was with Labour issues, the companies/owners could deal with that but the Communists knew they could do nothing about political issues and vice versa. Obviously, if they won completely, they would become redundant and lose all influence. This is very evident in the early battles between the largely Communist Congress of Industrial Organizations and the far more moderate American Federation of Labour. Similar rivalries developed in the UK and Canada leading up to WWI and WWII. I also found it interesting that when western Communists were allied with Hitler between 1939 and 1941, they instigated strikes in N America that crippled vital war production. In particular the production of aluminum. Remember that black hole in the middle of the Atlantic where merchant ships went to die? This dent in the vital production of aluminum affected the rollout date of the new long ranger B-24 Liberator that could patrol that black hole.

 

I don’t know, you tell me

 

Queensland Figaro 17 Jan 1885
Dr Gell, the medical officer at Thornborough, died on the 29th ultimo very suddenly; for altho' ailing for some time, he was able to go about. At 3pm on the above date, he was in the yard of the Commercial Hotel, when he was seen to stagger and was only prevented from falling by the landlady who, with assistance from the servant, got him into a bedroom. He became unconscious, and died at 4pm. The deceased gentleman was very stout, and the cause of death appeared to be apoplexy, aggravated by the heat, which was very intense on that day. The interment took place on the 30th ultimo, every place of business being closed and the inhabitants turning out en-masse, to attend the funeral.

Code:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/83676224?searchTerm=%22dr.%20gell%22

 

Brilliant Andromeda, I made the stupid mistake of only looking in 1884 - I should have known better by now

 

Just a few more articles from the papers which may be of interest. The first is another report of the will of William Silvester, giving a bit more detail.

Staffordshire Sentinel 7th January 1905
Mr William Silvester of Mansfield Villas, Rowley Park. J.P., (Mayor of Stafford in 1892-3) and of Messrs. William Silvester and Sons, of 16, Tipping-street, Stafford, leather merchants, who died on September 23rd last, left estate valued at £49,393 gross, including personalty of the net valve of £41,083 and probate of his will dated May 9th 1904 has been granted to his widow, Mrs Mary Rubball Silvester, of Rowley Park, and his brother-in-law, Mr Arthur Shutes, of Beeston, corn merchant. He left his interest in his business and estate at Tipping-street, Stafford, and Back Walls, South Stafford, to his nephew Robert William Silvester, charged with an annuity to his widow of £60 and an annuity of £50 to his aunt Ellen Clarke, of 13, Sutherland-avenue, London. He left his household effects to his wife with the income from his residuary estate for life, and subject thereto he left the ultimate residue, as to two-sevenths each for his sister Louisa Clara Shute, and his sister-in-law Sarah Silvester, widow of his brother Robert Allwood Silvester, and as to one-seventh each for his sisters Emily Frances Chalmers, Mary Allwood Fishwick, and Ellen Elisabeth Laing, and to the last-named he left his interest in leasehold property at Burton on Trent held from the Marquis of Anglesey.

Chichester Observer 24th July 1948
On July 16, 1948, at Merrivale, Slindon Common, near Arundel, Julia Mary, widow of Mervyn Frank Voules, at one time headmaster of Middleton School, Bognor, and dear mother of Audrey, Charles, Teddy and Violet. No flowers please.

The Scotsman 7th June 1901
Following Deaths (from Enteric Fever unless otherwise stated)
and includes
19th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry 31242 Private F. W. S. Gell, Lichtenburg, May 30
[The Daily News (London) gives the Regiment as 73rd Company Imperial Yeomanry, Mafeking, June 1]

 

I didn't think to look for Dr Gell, just Thomas but heaven only knows where he is buried. I have tried all Cairns and Mareeba, no luck.

 

Thanks again folks!!!!

Ya, you guys are probably much more in tune with how to map all this out than I am. I need to create a tree to put all this in order so I can see what is going on. I got the impression from what was lined up that Thomas Silvester's wife was the widowed Jessie Elizabeth Davison (nee Gell) and their son was F.W.S.Gell (our S.Africa casualty) How is that?

Then there is the link between William Silvester and his sister Emily Frances Chalmers?

So these Chalmer and Gell artifacts remain together because of the connection between the Silvester's, Gell's and Chalmers.

 

Sent to confuse you.......

Jessie Elizabeth Davison married Thomas Silvester Gell at British Legation, (page 256 & 257 the only source quoted) Darmstadt Germany on 26th September 1873. (Family Search) Thomas died in Australia in 1884.
Jessie Elizabeth Gell, nee Davison married Charles Davison March 1887 Pancras. (After the death of Dr Thomas Silvester Gell)
Davison’s and Gells must be related.

 

It looks like Jessie Elizabeth is the daughter of Frederick Davison and Louisa (possibly Ward) baptised in 1851 St Pancras. On the 1861 census she is living with family including a brother Charles T T Davison. He is 11 and Jessie is 10. Cant find them in 1851, nor a registration for Jessies birth. Although I could have missed it. There is a Jessie Davison in 1849 Rotherhithe

 

If I am correct

William Silvester is the father of Emily Frances (Chalmers/Davison)
Elizabeth Silvester is the wife of John Gell, mother of Thomas Silvester Gell

Both are children of William Silvester, making Emily Frances Chalmers/Davison and Thomas Silvester Gell cousins

 

Thanks MollyMay, makes sense to me.

Oddly, I was looking at Chalmers's wife's Red Cross badge "County
of Berkshire" from WWI and it has on it Audrey Noales rather
than Audrey Voules. Must be a boo boo by the Red Cross.

Regards
Ken

 

Just found this randomly searching for WW1 POW liberation... I'm definitely a Commie (and occasionally an academic), but I'm no Bolshevik. There was a group of us in an Aussie Public Health organisation who were happy to be labeled "Commie" as we tried to equalise the experiences of people undergoing health care! Nothing concerning genealogy, LOL. NOw I'll write out my next query about WW1.